With a huge final matchday coming up this Sunday, I figured it would be a great time to talk about how great relegation is for the sport of soccer. Relegation, you ask? For all you unfamiliar with the idea or how it works, let me explain. Every year in the English Premier League, teams fight not only for the top five spots (which qualify them for European competitions the following season), but fight to stay out of the bottom of the table. Each season, the teams who finish in the bottom 3 will be relegated to the League Championship (the AAA league of English club soccer). The top 3 teams from the League Championship then move up to the Premier League.
At the end of the season, while teams at the top of the table are vying for a title, the teams in the lower half have reason to field their best lineups and fight for every point. Staying up means a team can attract better players, play in front of larger crowds, participate in higher levels of competition, draw more sponsors and ultimately, make more money. And at the end of the season, instead of slacking off in hopes of a better draft spot, teams are playing at 100% effort, making for great sports viewing.
Every season, we hear accusations of last place teams in MLB, the NBA, and the NFL dogging it because they have no reason to perform well (with more of an incentive to finish poorly). However, if these teams were subject to relegation, you would see a full season of effort. The best matchups this season have not only included the Chelsea’s and Manchester United’s, but the Wigan’s and Blackpool’s and Wolverhampton’s as well. There has been no slacking off or questionable lineups to argue about on Around the Horn (not that Woody Paige knows anything about soccer).
Plus, next season when we see Queens Park Rangers, Norwich and one other team that is yet to be determined, the Premier League will experience new players, new fans, and new venues. Not only do the fans of these freshly promoted teams have a chance to see how they stack up against the top teams, but their players are also rewarded for playing hard all season.
While it is 99.99999% unlikely that American sports will ever adapt this idea, it would be easiest to incorporate into Major League Baseball. While the NBA and NFL would probably suffer due to a less-than-elite level of play, baseball already has a good structure to incorporate relegation (see ya later, Pittsburgh Pirates). There are levels from Rookie Ball all the way up to the majors, so the major hurdle has already been overcome. Obviously, MLB would have to do away with team-specific farm systems, but expanded regular season rosters would help to deal with this problem. Of course this is not something that could be implemented in a season; it would require a paradigm shift in sports thinking in this country.
Could relegation work in American sports? Sure. Will I or my children or my children’s children see it? Who knows. All I know is this Sunday will offer the most exciting relegation battle in recent history! Make sure to tune in.
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